


all that jazz

by heimdallwatches



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: M/M, Music, Piano, Pre-Relationship, also evan has to stop trying being sneaky around vampires, i went crazy when sera said mason played the piano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 12:10:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16786687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heimdallwatches/pseuds/heimdallwatches
Summary: Mason can't sleep and decides to indulge in something he (probably) misses.





	all that jazz

**Author's Note:**

> Again, i'm really bad at titles, please don't judge me. I'm not sure if Mason would actually want to play music ever again, but let's pretend he misses this for Angst reasons :p  
> Also, this takes place before they're even in any sort of physical relationship (probably still crush stage). They are in the facility, not the warehouse, because I wrote this a long time ago and now I'm too lazy to change it.

The day had been exhaustive. In fact, the whole week had made Unit Bravo and the detective feel like they needed to sleep for at least three whole days, and even so it wouldn't be enough to rest properly. So, right after they brought the slimy supernatural that had given so much trouble to the agency, everyone gladly decided to go to their respective rooms – even the detective, who arrived at the conclusion that he had no forces left to go to his own home.  
  
The only one who had stayed at the common room was Mason, who now was seated on a big and comfortable armchair; his lonely silhouette lit only by a small lamp. The cigarette smoke danced around him, forming long streaks that were soon gone.  
  
He was drained, annoyed, exhausted, but he couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. His mind kept spinning, circling around thoughts he'd already forgotten. Although, that wasn't the reason he felt so uneasy. No, that was nothing. What really worried him was that tingle on the tip of his fingers, a familiar feeling that rarely abandoned him even though he always tried so hard to ignore it. Sometimes, not even smoking helped.  
  
Grunting and sighing, the vampire threw away his cigarette in the ashtray and turned off the light, getting up on his feet. The room was so much more welcoming to his sensitive eyes with all the lights out, but that was a moment he was hardly ever able to enjoy.  
  
The shadowy bliss gave place to the uncomfortable neon lights on the corridor as he opened the doors. Frowning and blinking rapidly, Mason strode through the hallway until his eyes stopped hurting. Unlike usually, the Agency's corridors were almost deserted; the busy atmosphere from the day exchanged by the quiet peace from the night. Mason couldn't stop wondering how late it must have been for that to happen.  
  
He let his legs calmly take him where he needed to be: a small room at the back of the communal hallways, its small door framed by two big vases. The music room. Mason lingered at the door frame for a moment, undecided. What was he doing? Why did his fingers tingle so much now?  
  
Shaking his head, he finally entered the room, not bothering to turn up the lights. The place was bigger than it looked from the outside. A few different musical instruments hanged from the walls, such as electric and acoustic guitars, flutes, trombones and a few drums that varied in size. Without even glancing at those, Mason walked straight to the grand piano that occupied one of the room's corners. Taking a seat in front of it, he let his fingers hover upon the black piece of wood that protected the keys, without actually touching it.  
  
How long had it been since the last time he stood there? How long had it been since the last time he actually allowed himself to indulge in that activity he once had enjoyed so much?  
  
His hands moved by themselves and, when he realised, he had lifted the wooden protection. The keys lied exposed in from of him, _begging_ to be played, and he finally stopped resisting. When his fingers touched the first chords, the sound of them pierced through his ears like nails and he flinched, quickly drawing his hands back.  
  
Shit. He knew it was going to hurt. But his fingers wouldn't stop itching.  
  
_To hell with that_ , he thought after a brief moment of consideration. He could handle some pain.  
  
The vampire played the chord again, this time more vigorously. Then he played another one. And another one. Until he was finally defeated and the melody started dancing through his fingers. Each new note was a dagger to his ears, but he tried to ignore the pain and focus only on the song he somehow still knew by heart. He realised he had been holding his breath for too long and then exhaled slowly. Playing the piano again felt unusually good (if he could get past the sharp stinging in his brain), but weird at the same time. It made him think of other times, other lives. Too long buried and forgotten.  
  
The jazzy and sensuous melody sounded alien coming from his steady fingers; the pain adding a sour spice to his presentation. He let his fingers move around the keys for a while, almost enjoying their cold touch on his fingertips.  
  
For the slightest of the moments, he allowed himself to close his eyes and just appreciate the music. High notes interlaced with low ones; complicated arrangements turned easy underneath his quick fingers. The chords unraveled in his memory, almost as if they—  
  
He stopped abruptly when an all too familiar sound joined his tune.  
  
A heartbeat.  
  
Coming from the door.  
  
  
*****  
  
Evan's breath got stuck in his throat when Mason turned his head to him. His expression went from surprised to annoyed to angered in milliseconds, making the detective swallow hard and stumble backwards a few steps.  
  
" _What the fuck are you doing here?_ ", Mason spat. Evan could almost touch the fury in his words.  
  
"I was—", he started and his voice cracked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you... I-I needed water, then I heard music and—". The detective had to turn his look away from the vampire, afraid that Mason's furious gaze would cut through his guts.  
  
It wasn't a lie, though, what he'd said. He'd left his room because he couldn't sleep and his throat was dry, and the song reached out to him. When he realised, he was already at the doorway, watching hypnotized as Mason played.  
  
"That's a nice song", he said while casually looking around and trying to hide his embarrassment, "and you, uh, played it very well. I mean, I'm not an expert on piano.. I'm, uh, I'm more of a guitar man, but I really liked how you— _argh!_ "  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when Mason abruptly grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and practically smashed him to the wall. He hit his head and it _hurt_ , but he was more concerned about the danger in the vampire's eyes and the low growl in his chest when he spoke, " _This is none of business, detective_."  
  
Struggling to breathe, Evan tried hard to not show the panic that was crawling up his brain, but he didn't quite succeed. "C-come on, man, there's no need for this!", he gasped and his voice cracked pathetically.  
  
Mason didn't release him, but his grip did become less suffocating. "You shouldn't be here". His voice was sharp and urgent and was spoken through gritted teeth, and his eyes flared like fire.  
  
"I know. I-I know, and I'm sorry". Somehow he managed to take a deep breath and exhale slowly, trying to calm his nerves down. It didn't help much, but at least now Evan could think a bit more clearly. He clasped his hands around Mason's wrists, firmly and slowly, and searched for his glimmering eyes. "It's ok. I'm, uh, I'm sorry". He couldn't help being proud of himself for being able to control the tremor in his voice this time.  
  
Mason hesitated for a brief moment, his expression softening just a little. His lips twitched and he turned his gaze away from Evan for a second. There was clearly a battle going on inside him, and the detective could almost see him deciding whether to kill him at that moment or later.  
  
"Tell this to anyone – _anyone_ ", Mason finally said, leaning closer to Evan's face, showing his teeth like a wolf to his prey, "and I'll rip your throat off".  
  
"I won't tell, I promise". His voice wasn't as steady as he'd wished, but he hoped that his firm and reassuring stare would convince Mason that he didn't mean to be a threat at all. The vampire didn't seem to be more inclined to let him live, though, so Evan tightened his grip on his wrists. "Come on, Mason, trust me. I won't tell. Why would I do that?"  
  
Nothing changed on the vampire's demeanor and, for a second, fear blurred Evan's vision and made his heartbeat spike. He could feel the cold sweat on the small of his back and on his trembling hands and he silently prayed that Mason would just let him go. He really wasn't ready to die just yet.  
  
The relief when Mason released his t-shirt was so immense that he had to rely on the wall behind him to stop his legs from giving in. He choked back a cough and took a calming breath. A few calming breaths, actually; that had been a very close call.  
  
The vampire took a step back and started fumbling with his pockets until he found his cigarette pack. Throwing one last angry glance at Evan, he stormed out of the room. Somehow, the sound of the piano keys still resonated inside of the detective's ears.


End file.
